


A True Story

by thelonebamf



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Fairy Tale Retellings, Fluff, Gen, Jupiter Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 13:19:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7619614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelonebamf/pseuds/thelonebamf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sunny can't get to bed, it's up to Hal to help her sleep with the help of a familiar favorite story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A True Story

“Still can’t sleep, Sunny?”

 

“Mm mm.” The young girl turned in the hammock that served as her bed, at least when she hadn’t simply dozed off at her workstation. She peeked over the edge, smushing the face of one of her stuffed bears through the holes between the ropes as she did so. 

 

Hal frowned slightly. While he was no stranger to insomnia himself, he didn’t want to set an unhealthy example for Sunny. Unfortunately neither his usual remedy of ‘watching anime until you pass out” nor Snake’s recommendation of “a smoke and a drink” would be helpful in this situation. He racked his brain, trying to remember how he’d helped E.E. through rough nights.

 

“How about a story?” He offered.

 

“A s-story?”

 

“Sure um, probably have...something I could read…” He adjusted his glasses and squinted out into the dim light of the NOMAD. “Mmm… then again…” He doubted they had much on board aside from Sunny’s own small collection.

 

“Uncle Hal? C-could you tell m-me a story?”

 

“From memory?” He wondered if he could still remember the entire plot of ‘Sen to Chihiro’ and whether it might be too scary for a bedtime story but was soon interrupted.

 

“A t-true story!”

 

“Oh… a… true you say?” For a moment he considered trying to dredge up some old childhood memories, but found himself coming up short. Out of ideas he looked across the cabin and saw Snake sitting on the sofa, head leaning back, eyes closed with just a hint of a smirk on his face.

 

“Alright then. A true story.”

 

* * *

 

_ Once Upon A Time… _

 

There was a castle far to the North. Though it was cut off from the surrounding kingdoms, its inhabitants were hard working, and thought only of ways to make the world a better place. 

 

Unfortunately misfortune fell upon the castle and one night it was overrun by a dark prince and his small group of talented warriors. They had heard that the castle hid a great and mysterious power within its walls and they were determined to claim it for their own. And it looked like indeed they might succeed.

 

However, in the darkest part of the night, a lone knight appeared. He had been summoned by a count of a neighboring land who feared the damage the prince might do if he and his followers succeeded. Using the skills he learned from countless battles he was able to sneak into the castle. There he met a captive, a beautiful warrior who had refused to help the evil prince take over the castle and had been thrown into a cold and lonely cell. 

 

After freeing the warrior, the knight quickly discovered there were a great many other captives he had to rescue, each one of them holding another piece to the puzzle of just exactly what this mysterious power within the castle was, and how it might be stopped. Yet before he could rescue the king of the castle, he succumbed to a mysterious curse, leaving only cryptic clues behind.

 

Worse yet, the knight found himself targeted by the dark prince’s minions. Each one had been trained in a different deadly art. He almost found himself at the mercy of the dark prince’s mentor, a man skilled in the ways of ricocheting magical attacks, when at the last moment an unlikely ally appeared. A mysterious ninja appeared and saved the knight’s life before vanishing just as mysteriously. 

 

At this time, the knight decided to seek out the help of a man who knew more about the castle and its secrets than anyone. Deep in the darkest dungeons of the castle, he found a wizard who was as anxious as he was brilliant, and more than a little afraid of all the strange soldiers who had invaded his home.

 

The wizard told the knight about the fearsome weapon within the castle- and how it wasn’t meant to be a weapon at all, but his pet! Since childhood, he had carefully raised a dragon from its very egg in the hopes that it would one day grow to protect the castle and all neighboring lands. However in the hands of the dark prince and his followers, he realized that his good intentions had very likely doomed them all.

 

Still, he wanted to help the knight succeed in his quest, so he swore to provide whatever aid he could before cloaking himself with a spell of invisibility and fleeing out into the night. Now knowing more about the threat he was facing, the knight sought out the beautiful warrior maiden once again so that she might help him destroy it. However they were interrupted when the dark prince’s friend, a powerful seer used his magics to take control of the woman and nearly killed her and the knight in the process. 

 

Luckily, the knight’s will was strong and he was able to shield his thoughts and memories from the seer and defeated him, saving his warrior friend. But before they could relish their victory, they were attacked again, this time by a beautiful huntress who was in the prince’s employ. What’s more, the huntress- who knew many of the prince’s secrets, revealed to the knight that he and the prince were actually brothers. Twins in fact, separated at birth before being sent out into the world to find their destinies. 

 

It seemed unbelievable, but the dark prince appeared seemingly out of nowhere and confirmed her story, though he had no intention of familial reconciliation on the mind, only destruction. The knight found himself captured and at the mercy of the dark prince and his advisor, but when all seemed lost, the nervous wizard showed up again, offering him a chance at escape. He also told the knight the secret to destroying the dragon, having raised it from an egg he knew it’s one weakness you see- and he trusted that the knight would be the one to save them all.

 

However the prince wasn’t going to let his plans fail without a fight, and he followed the knight at every turn, demanding battle after battle, never satisfied, and each time being beaten by his brother. He was filled with unbridled rage, claiming that the knight was responsible for cursing all of his men, killing them on the spot. It seemed that his determination would win the day as he mounted the dragon, ready to launch into the sky and destroy the neighboring kingdoms, and the knight became worried that he would be unable to destroy the beast alone.

 

But he didn’t have to. At the last moment, the ninja appeared and helped him defeat the powerful dragon though he lost his life in the process. And the knight was very sad because he realized the ninja had been an old friend of his, one he thought lost in a battle long ago.

He had no time to mourn, however. The prince was unwilling to accept defeat and had taken the warrior beauty into his arms and run off with her, forcing the knight to give chase. He began to flee through the castle quickly, creating countless barricades between them, but the clever wizard used his magic to help the knight, dispelling them all.

 

Finally, as the sun began to rise on the snow covered castle, the two brothers faced each other for the last time. Though it seemed the dark prince might have a final devastating attack up his sleeves, he suddenly fell dead in the snow. It seemed he hadn’t been lying about the knight carrying a secret and deadly curse upon him.

 

Though the knight was shaken by what he had seen, he knew his duty and found the warrior maiden lying in the snow. They made their way out into the light and found a handsome steed waiting for them, fit for royalty- which was just as well because as it turns out, the beautiful warrior was actually a princess in disguise! The two of them then climbed upon the horse and rode out into the snow toward her father’s kingdom, determined to seek out and enjoy a new life.

 

_ The End _

* * *

 

 

Hal stretched, pulling himself out of the desk chair where he’d been sitting and smiled at Sunny fast asleep. For all he knew, she’d dozed off after the first minute or two but he found once he’d gotten started telling the tale he’d been unable to stop.

 

Throat a little sore from so much talking, he climbed the steps up into the kitchen and nearly bumped into Snake who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smile upon his face.

 

“So, that’s it then, huh? Handsome knight and beautiful princess ride off into the sunrise?”

 

“Oh you were listening were you?” Hal blushed a little. “Well… that’s what happened, isn’t it?”

 

“That’s what happened alright.” Snake’s smile grew just a little a hint of a sparkle in his eyes as he reached out and pulled Hal into a close but gentle embrace. “But it’s not the end of the story.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story was my submission for the MGS Fanzine, Metal Gear Solid: Legends. If you are interesting in getting a copy and helping to support the work of talented artists and authors from the fandom, please check it out!
> 
> http://pliskinpress.storenvy.com/products/16897761-metal-gear-solid-legends-fanzine  
> https://gumroad.com/l/nRYCh


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